Battle the Wounded
by Cassie Bogner
Summary: Starring: Byron Sully, Cloud Dancing, Dr. Quinn and a wounded Cheyenne girl brought today by the soldiers. No one knows where she came from or what happened to her. She has pushed nearly everyone away that tries to help her. Disclaimer: I own nothing!
1. Chapter 1

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Fan Fiction 1

It was a hot day in Colorado. Byron Sully and Michaela Quinn were visiting the Cheyenne Indian reservation. Michaela wanted to check up on one of the new mothers that had her baby two weeks ago.

Sully looked around as they entered. Two new soldiers were waiting at the gates. He did not recall seeing them around Colorado. Still, he dismissed his thoughts, he could have missed a couple. He hadn't lived at the reservation for a while now.

The wagon kept moving, and they could see the peaks of the old teepees now. A fellow native friend of Sully's, Cloud Dancing, ran up to the wagon. Sully pulled the horses to a stop so that they would not get spooked and run over his comrade.

"Sully, you've got to come quick," the man said in broken language. His fingertips were bloody, and his eyes were wide.

Sully handed the reins to Dr. Quinn and jumped off the wagon. The two men raced towards one of the older teepees. Sully spied a new teepee in the process of being built. They entered the old, brown buffalo skinned teepee and found a young Cheyenne girl lying on a pallet.

"The soldiers brought her in today," Cloud Dancing explained. "She won't let anyone touch her. We can't stop the bleeding if she won't let us."

"What happened," Sully asked, rolling up his deerskin sleeves. He had worn his deerskin shirt because they were visiting the reservation.

"We don't know, the soldiers said nothing, they just threw her to the ground and left," the Cheyenne answered.

The girl stirred, her right hand covered a bloodied area just below her lungs. She mumbled something incoherent in Cheyenne. Sully placed a hand on her forehead and she tried to jerk away. He could see that her right eye was swelling, and her forehead was boiling hot.

"I need water," he said in Cheyenne and Cloud Dancing ducked out of the teepee to fetch it. Sully took his hand off the girl's forehead. She looked towards, Sully, her left eye fully open and observing him, her right eye swelling by the second. Sully introduced himself in the Cheyenne language and tried to peel her hand away from her wound.

The young girl said nothing but pressed even harder refusing to let him look at her wound.

Cloud Dancing soon returned with water in a small pail with an old cloth hanging over the handle. "Her words make no sense," he said, listening to her mumble again.

"She has a fever," Sully replied. "She thinks she is saying something but it makes no sense, her fever is too high."

Cloud Dancing quickly dipped the rag in the water and handed it to Sully. "It is good you came today."

Sully nodded and placed the cloth over the girl's forehead. "They didn't give you her name, where she came from or anything?"

Cloud Dancing shook his head.

"Perhaps she would allow Dr. Quinn to help," Sully suggested.

"She has shoved everyone away," Cloud Dancing said. "She is strong even when weak." He looked at the girl lying on his pallet trying to sit up and told her in Cheyenne to lie back down. "We want to help, let us," he said in Cheyenne.

The girl lay back down and lay still, her eyes looked at the teepee wall

Cloud Dancing looked at Sully as if waiting for something and Sully again tried to peel her hand away from the wound. She resisted a bit, but allowed him to remove her hand as Cloud Dancing talked to her.

Dr. Quinn passed the entrance of the tent on her way to see the young woman and her baby. The injured Cheyenne girl's eyes followed the soft crunch of grass below the Doctor's feet.

Cloud Dancing ducked out of the tent again to speak with Dr. Quinn about the girl. "Sully is caring for her now, but when you are done visiting with Walks Near Water, you might look to her?"

"Yes, of course," Dr. Quinn said turning towards Cloud Dancing's teepee.

"She won't let a white touch her right now, we are lucky she allowed Sully to look at her wound," Cloud Dancing said stopping the doctor. "Visit with Walks Near Water for now."

Dr. Quinn nodded and walked towards Walks Near Water's teepee.

Cloud Dancing returned to his teepee where Sully was taking the rag from the girl's forehead and dipping it in the bucket of water before washing out her wound. The wet cloth touched the girl's side and she winced in pain. Her hand quickly moved to the wound, as if to protect it.

Cloud Dancing quickly began to speak to her. "You are doing well," he said in Cheyenne, and kept speaking to her. He didn't know what else to do.

Sully began to speak to her in Cheyenne, telling her what he was doing. She seemed to relax. The heat was rolling off her body, and Sully became concerned. "We need another rag," he told Cloud Dancing who ducked out of the teepee to find another.

Sully held the girls right hand as he began to clean her wound again, she squeezed his hand and winced in pain. "What happened," he asked her. She mumbled something but he didn't understand.

Cloud Dancing returned with a clean cloth dipped it in the bucket and placed it on her forehead. Then he sat back on his knees waiting for another task.

"Looks like a gun wound," Sully said in English, once he had wiped most of the blood away from the wound.

Dr. Quinn entered the teepee with her medical kit that she retrieved from the wagon. She looked at the girl and grimaced before pulling out a needle and thread. She moved towards the girl but Sully stopped Dr. Quinn, "She won't let you," he said as he gently took the needle and thread from his wife and explained to the girl that he was going to mend her wound and that it would probably hurt.

The girl nodded and braced herself for the pain of the first couple of stitches. Tears rolled down the side of her face but she stayed silent. Sully let go of the girls hand, removed the quickly warming cloth from her forehead and dipping it in the water and placing it back on her forehead again. He wiped the excess blood from around her wound with the spared and bloodied rag before continuing to stitching closed the wound. She gripped the side of the blanket, and Cloud Dancing reached out and held her hand.

Dr. Quinn watched and waited now, for an opportune moment. She decided to replace the cloth on the girl's head, until Sully had finished stitching the wound.

Sully dipped his hands in the water and washed the blood off. A few minutes passed and the girl fell asleep.

Cloud Dancing looked at the girl thoughtfully, "If it was a gun wound, where is the bullet?"

Sully looked up at his friend, then at the girl.

Dr. Quinn started to turn the girl on her side and Sully helped her. The Cheyenne girl tried to fight them, but Sully held the girls wrists so she would allow Dr. Quinn to look at the entering wound from the back. Dr. Quinn took out another length of thread and began to stitch the wound.

A half hour passed. The wounds were stitched shut and dressed, and the girl was sleeping. The bloody water was poured out on the grass and freshwater was drawn so that Cloud Dancing could keep the girl's fever down.

Sully and Dr. Quinn returned to their home for the night, but at least one of them would be back in the morning.

…To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

Wolf Cries Out

Night fell and morning came quickly. Sully took the wagon to the reservation to check on the young wounded girl. Much to his surprise, she was not laying down on Cloud Dancing's pallet. Instead, she was sitting up, and speaking with Cloud Dancing.

She looked up at Sully, when he entered the teepee, questions were written across her face. Sully greeted her in Cheyenne and she looked to Cloud Dancing, confused. Cloud Dancing explained to her who Sully was and that he had helped her the day before. The girl nodded and thanked Sully in Cheyenne.

"How has she been," Sully asked Cloud Dancing.

"She is doing better," Cloud Dancing replied.

"Has she said where she came from," Sully asked.

Cloud Dancing only shook his head. "She will not speak of what happened."

Sully nodded and sat down so he would not tower over the girl, "May I see the wound," he asked her in Cheyenne, taking fresh bandages from the pouch on his side belt.

The girl looked from Cloud Dancing to Sully and shook her head. Cloud Dancing tried to persuade her that it was all right and again Sully was only there to help, but the girl would not hear it.

"Then you dress the wound," Sully told her handing her the bandages.

"I do not need help," she replied in Cheyenne pushing Sully's hands containing the bandages softly away. "Someone needs it more than I do."

Sully shrugged and put the bandages back in their pouch. "May I see the wound then?"

Again, the girl shook her head.

Sully looked confused. "I need to make sure that there is no infection or leak."

"No," she said in English. "It's fine."

Her speaking English stunned the two men, it was clear that they thought she only knew Cheyenne. She looked at their expressions and realized what she had done, quickly covering her mouth with her hands and mumbling something in Cheyenne.

"You know English," Sully asked still stunned.

The girl's eyes lowered to the ground and she nodded. "Not good," she replied.

"No, no," Sully said. "It is good, it means you understood what Cloud Dancing and I were saying and what the soldiers say."

The girl shook her head, "No, I not speak good."

Sully nodded, she was still learning English.

"What's your name," Sully asked.

"Wolf Cries Out," she replied again in English, but her voice sounded as if she was not confident with her words.

"Where did you come from," Cloud Dancing asked in Cheyenne.

Wolf Cries Out said nothing her eyes lowered.

"Why won't you let us make sure you are okay," Cloud Dancing asked knowing she wouldn't answer his first question. He had asked once before.

"I am fine," she replied in Cheyenne.

Cloud Dancing looked to Sully then got up and left the tent. He came back a few minutes later with his wife. "Sully," he said.

Sully nodded and reached in his pouch, pulling out the fresh bandages and handing them to Cloud Dancing's wife before leaving the teepee.

Cloud Dancing and Sully stood outside the teepee entrance exchanging glances.

"Do you think Wolf Cries Out will let Snow Bird help her," Sully asked.

"She'll have to," Cloud Dancing replied.

Suddenly there was a commotion coming from inside the teepee. Someone was yelling angrily and they heard someone fall. Sully thought of entering the tent but thought better of it when the yelling proceeded and escalated. They heard a slap, and a cry of pain then silence. Sully looked at Cloud Dancing who seemed more concerned with the silence than he did with the commotion. A few minutes passed and Snow Bird emerged from the tent half smiling in triumph and half worried.

"Her wound is dressed," she said to the men. "She has bruises."

Sully looked at Snow Cloud as if he was about to ask a question but she had already moved on to finish the rest of her chores.

There was movement in the teepee and Wolf Cries Out crept out. A red mark had been planted on her face and a stream ran down her face from an old tear. She looked angrily towards Cloud Dancing then at Sully.

"I was fine," she said in Cheyenne.

Sully took her shoulder in his hands and looked at her for a moment. "Why didn't you tell us about the bruises?"

Wolf Cries Out broke out of Sully's grasp and backed up. "It is my battle," she replied in Cheyenne, not knowing the words in English.

One of the soldiers was walking through the camp, and saw Wolf Cries Out. He came near to her, Sully expected her to hide away, but she stood her ground.

"I see you have recovered," the soldier said to the young girl.

Wolf Cries Out looked angrily at the man.

"Perhaps you won't run this time," he said before moving on through the camp.

She took a step towards him clenching a fist by her side, but a hand caught her arm and pulled her back.

"No fights today," Cloud Dancing said to her.

Wolf cries out retreated to the teepee, angry that she couldn't fight. Sully peered in when everything was silent once more and saw her kneeling on the pallet.

"I'll come back in a couple days," Sully told Cloud Dancing. "Please keep her out of trouble, she has a lot of anger."

Cloud Dancing nodded. "Yes, but she may have reason."

…To Be Continued


	3. Chapter 3

Trouble at the River

Two days passed after Wolf Cries Out was treated. She refused to sit in the tent and rest until she healed. She said that it was not fair to the others that she rest while they worked to feed her and take care of her. Her strength returned quickly, though there were still many things that she could not do without reopening her wound. Sully hadn't returned to check on her yet but Cloud Dancing seemed to be doing pretty well.

Wolf Cries Out spoke little, and said nothing about her life before Colorado. Cloud Dancing would ask what chores she did so she could do something that she knew, but she never replied. Cloud Dancing decided that it would be best that Wolf Cries Out help his wife Snow Bird with the cooking.

Snow Bird and Wolf Cries Out were fixing some stew for lunch and dinner. After a while Snow Bird looked at Wolf Cries out.

"Where are those kids," she asked in Cheyenne. "I sent them for water and they haven't returned."

Wolf Cries Out stood up from her place on the ground and looked to the river. She didn't see anything but tepees in the way. "I will get them," she replied in the native language before leaving for the river.

Snow Bird nodded and continued to cut the deer meat in smaller chunks for the stew.

As Wolf Cries Out neared the river, she heard shouting and began to run. The shouting was not from any of the native voices that she knew. She heard a splash after some more yelling in English and thought about drawing her bone dagger from her belt. When she got to the river, she could see an English soldier yelling at the two Cheyenne girls. Their water skins were on the ground and full. The younger of the two was in the water swimming for the shore near Wolf Cries Out.

Wolf Cries Out helped the girl back to shore and then walked angrily towards the Englishman.

"What they do," she asked pointing at the older girl that was picking herself up from the ground.

The soldier laughed at Wolf Cries out.

"They get water," She yelled at the soldier. "Take the water back," she said to the girls in Cheyenne as she picked up the two water skins from the ground and handed them to the older girl. She waited for the younger girl to walk beside her before she would move on.

The Englishman grabbed the younger girl as she passed by him and pulled her close to him. She screamed and fought to get away, biting his arm.

"Let her go," Wolf Cries Out ordered, as she fingered the dagger that was at her side.

"What will you do if I don't," the soldier asked. "Savage."

Wolf Cries Out ran at the soldier who let go of the girl and grabbed his rifle from over his shoulder. Wolf Cries Out grabbed the rifle as the soldier held it horizontally. The soldier tried to push her away from him using his gun, but she held on until her foot slipped on a rock on the shore and she fell backwards.

"Go," Wolf Cries Out yelled at the girls as she got back up and faced the soldier again looking for a way to run too.

The two girls ran with their water skins, back towards Cloud Dancing's tent. They saw Sully enter the camp with Matthew, his stepson.

The girls ran up to Sully and started talking excitedly, to fast that he could not understand them. Sully held up his hands and asked them to calm down and talk one at a time.

"There is a soldier at the river," the older girl said.

"We were getting water, and he came to us," the younger one finished.

"Wolf Cries Out is there too," the older one continued before Sully and Matthew took off, running towards the river.

The girls stayed by Sully's Wagon and started to guide the horses to a better grassy area.

By the time Sully and Matthew got to the river, the young Cheyenne girl and the soldier were wrestling in the water. Sully charged into the water and grabbed Wolf Cries Out, tearing her away from the soldier. Matthew knew better than to meddle in such affairs, Sully seemed to have everything under control.

"That is enough," Sully yelled as he stood between the two opponents.

Wolf Cries Out wiped her bleeding lip with a wet hand as she glared at the young soldier. The soldier began to back off, and then made for shore. Wolf Cries Out glared at Sully then started to walk towards shore, as well.

Matthew held out his hand to help the Cheyenne girl. "Are you alright?"

Wolf Cries Out looked at the hand and was going to refuse it until she slipped on the same rock as before. The hand was the only thing that would save her from falling again, so she grabbed it.

Sully walked behind Wolf Cries Out. Once they were all on semi dry land, and the soldier had left, Sully introduced Wolf Cries Out to Matthew.

"Nice to meet you," Matthew said to the Cheyenne girl.

"What happened," Sully asked in Cheyenne.

Wolf Cries Out turned away shaking her head. "They were to bring water, they take long time. I come and find one in river and other on ground. Soldier yell at girls," she said in English. "I say to girls, go. They go. Soldier grabs younger and I fight."

Matthew understood what she was trying to say, Sully had said that she did not speak English well, but he thought she spoke it well enough.

Sully looked down at the ground, sorting out his own words. His pants were wet up to the knees. He looked at Wolf Cries out and noticed that she was wet from head to toe. "You shouldn't fight the English," he said in Cheyenne. "That only makes things worse."

"What would you have done," Wolf Cries Out asked in Cheyenne, turning back to Sully. "Told him to let her go? Offered him to come over for a meal? Where would that lead you?"

Matthew was now confused and feeling left out. He understood some Cheyenne but not enough to understand what either of them was saying.

Sully shook his head and motioned for her to go. "How is your wound," he asked her in English once they reached Cloud Dancing's tepee.

She nodded once, indicating that it was better.

"What brought you here," Sully asked as he sat down on a stump by the fire that was now cooking the stew.

Wolf Cries Out knelt beside Snow Bird and shook her head. "Bad, bad men," was all she said.

"What kind of men," Matthew asked.

Wolf Cries Out looked at Matthew. "Your kind."

Matthew looked at Sully in surprise, though he did not understand why he felt surprised. The soldiers were white, and he was sure that the soldiers brought her here and that it wasn't her own free will.

Snow Bird told Wolf Cries Out to watch the stew as she went and checked on the two water girls and find Cloud Dancing.

Wolf Cries Out nodded and stirred the stew. "We were many," she began in Cheyenne. "My tribe was great, but then one by one we disappeared. Three years ago, it started. Now only two are left. River Runs Through and me." She paused and let Sully translate for Matthew. "We were taken to a reservation in Dakota where we were to learn English, I escaped. The soldiers brought me back after ten days. They beat me, I ran again. They saud if I run, they would kill me. I run again, and they shot me, leaving me for dead, until someone came and took me here."

Sully continued to translate for Matthew. Matthew's eyes were large with surprise by the time Sully finished.

"I'm sorry," Sully said in Cheyenne.

"I do not trust those that know the English language, they sell you out for food or blankets to the soldiers and I don't trust the soldiers," Wolf Cries Out continued in Cheyenne.

Sully nodded. "Now I understand."


End file.
